This invention relates to a method and apparatus for remote controlling electrical consumers by way of speech commands, the following being featured: a standard, commercially available personal computer (PC) serving as the CPU which receives the speech commands, recognizes them and transforms them into control commands for controlling the consumers, a minimum of one speech channel with an electro-acoustic transducer which is connected to the PC via a speech channel interface, and a remote control network which is connected to the CPU and the consumers, in addition to a standard, commercially available speech recognition program being implemented in the PC.
Such a process and a device are known by virtue of the published German Patent application DE 4 214 668 A1.
Standard, commercially available personal computers in the form of economically priced speech communications systems have been offered recently for communication with the computer. The remote control system described in the above-mentioned German Patent application DE 4 214 668 A1 takes advantage of this to generate the control signals required for the remote control of connected electrical consumers with the aid of the speech recognition system implemented in the PC. This process also utilizes a graphic user interface (GUI) on the PC monitor for displaying a code word for calling stored individual settings for the respective electrical consumer.
The citation (DE-A-4 219 106 DEUTSCHE AEROSPACE AG, 16th Dec. 1993, Abstract) pertains to a speech-controlled information and/or ordering system featuring a central computer, the central computer being equipped with a speech recognizer and a central data storage, as well as featuring at least one speech input/speech output device, said device being connected to the central computer by a telephone network. In order to improve the flexibility and efficiency of such a system in the handling of the dialog of the caller with the central computer, this publication suggests that the speech input/speech output device be spatially assigned a display unit which is connected with the central computer for the purpose of visually displaying the information conveyed from the central computer. This speech-controlled information and/or ordering system does not comprise a remote control or telecommand system. Transmission of infrared signals is suggested exclusively for communication between the speech input and output devices, e.g. between a modified telephone terminal device and a display unit.
Many electric household appliances on the market, i.e. consumer electronics units in particular, can be remote-controlled nowadays using a small-sized, easy-to-use remote control unit by means of the transmission of infrared signals to the electric appliance. Such a remote control unit of hi-fi units, for example, incorporates a great variety of different functions, e.g. switchover from stand-by mode to continuous operation, channel selector, loudspeaker volume control, etc. Infrared remote control units of this type have shown themselves to be particularly reliable and not susceptible to malfunction. However, infrared remote control units are designed for operating only a single unit or a group of functionally associated units, and remote control extending through a number of rooms is not possible.
The citation (DATABASE WPIL no. 92-055 708, DERWENT PUBLICATIONS LTD., London; & TP-A-19 201 (ANONYMOUS)) suggests two different systems for a remote control or telecommand system based on infrared signal transmission:
a) A portable, keyless remote control unit transmits infrared or radio remote control signals to electronic equipment, with the remote control commands being entered by way of speech input at the remote control unit rather than by way of keys.
b) The second system suggests a stationary base unit whose functions are the same as those of the remote control unit mentioned above. The stationary base unit is located at a place from which the unit to be remote-controlled is visible. In contrast to the portable version a), the stationary unit is capable of receiving speech commands inputted from a distance, e.g. through the telephone network.